In common with many of the villages of
the Rhondda Ynyshir is named after a farm that stood on
the land pre-industrialisation. The translation of the
name could be taken as ‘long riverside meadow'. As early
as the 1840's mention is made of the ‘small mining settlement
at Ynys-hir'. The nature of Ynyshir's position made it
particularly tempting to mining speculators. It is only
a mile from the ‘Gateway to the Rhondda' making transportation
easier and its wide meadows were in marked contrast to
much of the narrow valley of the Rhondda Fawr.
Mining in Ynyshir really began with the sinking of the
colliery of Messrs. Shepherd and Evans, trading as the Ynyshir
Coal Company, in 1845. This colliery was subsequently purchased
and extended by Francis Crawshay in 1856, in order to supply
coal to the Crawshay Ironworks at Treforest. Mining for steam
coal in the area began when James Thomas, the chief partner
of Troedyrhiw Colliery Company leased the mineral rights
to a tract of land at Ynyshir. He sunk the Standard Collieries
on the site, number one pit being sunk in 1875, and number
two the following year. These pits eventually struck the
Rhondda 4 Foot steam in 1877 and 1878 respectively
Ynyshir coal became highly esteemed both by the Admiralty
and in the lucrative export markets, being particularly
popular in France. In 1914 Standard amalgamated with the
United National Collieries Limited. Later in 1904, the
Lady Lewis colliery was sunk by Lewis Merthyr Consolidated
Collieries Limited, and was connected underground to the
companies Hafod collieries further down the valley.
Left: Lady Lewis Colliery Circa 1900
The 1906 Kelly's Industrial Directory describes Ynyshir
as ‘ a town on the river Rhondda-fach, with a station on
the Rhondda-fach branch of the Cardiff, Pontypridd and
Merthyr railway'. The Taff Vale railway had reached Ynyshir
in 1849, and the town boasted its own station. Ynyshir
in 1926 boasted its own parish church, St. Anne's erected
in the 1880's, as well as a number of chapels including:
English and Welsh Wesleyan Methodist, an English Baptist
chapel erected in 1885 and seating 350 people, a Welsh
Baptist Chapel erected in 1884 with a capacity of 800,
and a Welsh Congregational Chapel erected in 1885 seating
800 people.
Jones Colliery Circa 1905
In common with many of the mining villages the hub of
Ynyshir's social and cultural life became the miners institute.
The Ynyshir Standard Colliery Workmen's hall and Institute
was opened in 1905 and was built at a cost of £8,000.
The Institute comprised a hall capable of holding 1,500
persons, a library and reading room, a reading committee,
two billiard tables and a gymnasium. The principal landowners
in the area, at that time, are listed as; Lord Colum. E.
Crichton-Stuart, Col. John Picton Turbevill, of Ewenny
Priory, the Earl of Plymouth, Theophilus R. Hamlen-Williams
and the trustees of the Bailey Estate.
The area also had two public elementary schools, a boys
school erected in 1882 and remodelled in 1905, and a girls
and infants school erected in 1903 at accost of £13,500.
